Somehow we have forgotten it and left it as an anecdote, but just a decade ago there was a large Hollywood studio that was in the middle of an international conflict and suffered a hack that exposed the guts of the industry in a big way. A major scandal that, unexpectedly, was caused by a film as seemingly harmless as 'The Interview'.
A dangerous talk
The satire by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, starring the latter and James Franco, caused enormous stir without even having been released for parodying Kim Jong-Un and his dictatorship. A boldness that resulted in retaliation by intelligence and espionage services, and for the film in a failure from which it has not recovered. Now it is 10 years since its discreet premiere and today it can be seen streaming through Movistar+.
In it, an uncontrollable talk show host wants to interview the dictator of North Korea in an unprecedented program. His producer agrees to go ahead, although the CIA approaches him secretly so that they can take advantage of the opportunity to assassinate the ruler without anyone suspecting. But the assassination will be complicated for the relationship that the presenter and the ruler will develop.
This is a film where it is easier to see the provocation in the premise than in its execution. 'The Interview' ends up being one more comedy from the Goldberg and Franco factory with dysfunctional adults in bizarre situations, although operating with minimums that not only reduce possible fangs, but end up leaving a rather poor laugh ratio.
And yet it is one of the most relevant comedies of the 21st centuryalthough more for what it caused extra-cinematographically. The leaks derived from this premiere revealed astonishing practices and behaviors within the industry, affecting thousands of jobs and cinema chains. It even required intervention from the national government.
It could even be the nail in the coffin for mainstream comedy, posing an unnecessary risk for the little return it offered. A more impressive story than the one 'The Interview' ends up telling (and if you want to dig deeper into it, don't hesitate to look for the podcast miniseries 'The Hollywood Hack', where everything is explained).
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